The Legislature assembled in early March and, as Senator Andy Gardiner (an Orlando father of three) has shared, many discussion items pertain to Florida families, including disability education, healthcare expansion, mental health reform, a proposed downtown campus for UCF, and more. Perhaps you’ve noticed that debate over healthcare expansion has become heated ─ even between the House and the Senate.

But how does healthcare expansion directly impact Central Florida families? Well, despite the recent open enrollment phase of the Affordable Care Act ─ which ended on February 15^th and was successful for some Floridians ─ a staggering coverage gap still exists, which has direct impact on our statewide population and our healthcare business community. In fact, 1-in-4 Central Floridians (equating to half of a million men, women, and children) remain without insurance coverage.

Mayors, CEOs, small business owners, healthcare executives, insurance companies, trade associations, chambers of commerce, and social services and community activists have been pleading the case of a Senate proposal known as the Florida Health Insurance Affordability Exchange Program (FHIX), which would potentially help 1 million Floridians who are caught in the “coverage gap.”

Shepherd’s Hope represents the voice of these uninsured patients, says Marni Stahlman, CEO and President of Shepherd’s Hope, a faith-based nonprofit offering free medical services through five local health clinics. Stahlman explained, “Florida ranks 41 out of all 50 states with the highest number of uninsured people nationwide, in part, because the state legislature has yet to expand healthcare coverage eligibility. An estimated 850,000 Floridians remain in a gray area ─ earning too much to qualify for some programs, but not enough to afford insurance products offered on the Healthcare.gov exchange, even with federal subsidies, because of out-of-reach deductibles and co-payments.”

Shockingly, the majority of those who are uninsured come from working families. And, sadly, these residents may struggle to afford basic housing/food needs and, therefore, because of financial obligations, forgo medical care. According to Stahlman, Shepherd’s Hope, in partnership with Nemours, facilitated 105 free back-to-school physicals last August to help students comply with mandated screenings for school and activity enrollment. Without Shepherd’s Hope, where would these families with children have turned to? But physicals are just one example; many, including children, seek care for serious and/or chronic ailments, such as diabetes and cancer.

The demand for back-to-school physicals is expected to grow this fall. In fact, demand for free and charitable care in general has spiked. In 2014 alone ─ thanks to the dedication of 1,800 medical & lay volunteers who donated 38,310 hours ─ Shepherd’s Hope provided more than 21,000 patient visits and medical services to the uninsured and underserved in Central Florida; these numbers were a 22% increase from 2012.

Even if your family is insured, the issue of healthcare expansion still may impact your wallet. Without the option of Shepherd’s Hope, 26% of patients surveyed ─ equating to 5,460 men, women, and children ─ said they would otherwise be forced to seek medical care at an area emergency department. If these additional 5,460 patient visits were provided at a local emergency department, the cost to the Central Florida healthcare system would be $25,116,000 ($4,600 per visit) vs. $420,420 ($77 per visit) at Shepherd’s Hope.

Regardless of whether you are for or against healthcare expansion, remember to keep organizations like Shepherd’s Hope top of mind when encountering someone who needs medical care but lacks the means, or when contemplating philanthropic endeavors. Regardless of the passage or failure of healthcare expansion (which may happen on May 1^st or extend into a special session), a coverage gap will remain for Central Floridians families… and maybe that includes you or someone you know. Thankfully, the doors to Shepherd’s Hope will remain open to serve Central Florida families.